Love Lives On
by Kitt21
Summary: I reached for you this morning, Woke up with empty arms, Once again it's sinking in, How far away you are. O.C. Centered. Sequel to 'If Your Reading This'


The sun slowly rose on the planet Cybertron, casting its warm light into a window at the Autobot base. Inside the room, it was peaceful and serene, misleading to the fact that a war was raging.

_I reached for you this morning_

_Woke up with empty arms_

A sleeping femme was starting to wake up, stretching her arm to touch her mate… only to feel the cold metal of her berth. She snapped her optics open and gazed sadly at the empty space.

_Once again it's sinking in_

_How far away you are_

Unwillingly, she got up and headed for the rec. room. She grabbed two cubes of energon from the dispenser and took a seat at an empty table. Placing one cube at one end, she took a seat on the other. She sipped her own cube and looked at the empty seat with the untouched cube.

"Hey Optimus. I had another dream last night. I bet you'd love to hear it."

_I still pour two cups of coffee_

_And tell you all about my dreams_

It was something she always did, her own little ritual. But it hurt so much, every day she would reach for him in her berth, only to find cold metal. She would get them both a cube of energon and sit down to talk, only to face empty air.

_This kitchen's way to quiet_

_You should still be here with me_

Putting her face in her hands, she cried. Primus it was so unfair. She didn't care if anyone found her like this, she just couldn't stand the silence. She bent over the table and cried into her arms. She stayed like that until she felt arms around her. Looking up, she saw it was Bumblebee, giving her a sad look of his own. Putting her arms around him, she cried even harder, embracing her friend who hugged her back, not bothering to try to hush her sobs.

_And even though I cry like crazy_

_Even though it hurts so bad_

_I'm thankful for the time god gave me_

_Even though we couldn't make it last_

It took a few minutes, but she finally found the strength to stop crying. Wiping her face, she smiled at Bee.

"Hey, what are you doing in here?" She asked. Bumblebee looked down at her unhappily, but didn't say anything, he was hurting as much as she was.

"Let's go find Jazz. I'd bet we could spend some time with him." They both got up and left, as if nothing had happened at all, even though Ironhide entered afterward and saw the two cubes of untouched energon. Sighing sadly, he disposed of both and went about his day.

_I'm learning how to live without you_

_Even though I don't want to_

_Even with you gone_

_Love lives on_

Later, the doors to the med-bay opened and Ratchet looked up from cleaning his tools to scowl at the intruder, but stopped when he saw who it really was.

"It's good to see you System." He spoke softly to the femme.

"Hello Ratchet." System greeted with a smile and sat on one of the medical berths.

_I still call your mom on Sundays_

_Yeah It's good to hear her voice_

"Are you hurt." The CMO asked, coming over with a scanner. System gave a blank look that Ratchet knew all too well.

"No, not really." She answered. Ratchet put the scanner away.

"He wouldn't want you to feel sad for him, you know." Ratchet sighed. System's optics filled with energon and cleanser.

"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't stop me."

"You know, he had the same problem." The medic got a fond look in his optic. "I remember this one time, after a hard battle, when I found Optimus on the roof of the base…" System listened quietly to the CMO's story.

_She always tells me that same story_

_About her stubborn little boy_

After her visit, System went back to her quarters. She closed the doors and sighed. She was trying hard to put on a brave face for everyone and they for her. She felt like she was accomplishing it very well, even if Bumblebee did find her crying in the rec. room. It was better than what she really wanted to do. To just sit and succumb to the emptiness inside her where her mate was supposed to be. She walked over to the berth and sat down, looking around the room, her gaze finally landed on an image capture of her and Optimus together, sitting on the side table.

_And I kept your favorite T-shirt_

_You know the one I used to hate_

She had really hated that picture. Optimus had Jazz take the picture of him sneaking up from behind her and lifting her up into his arms. She had been so surprised she had let out a small yelp and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her optics were wide and her mouthplates were gaping like an aquatic organic, while Optimus had the biggest smile on his faceplates. The picture caught his handsome features perfectly. She leaned over to the picture, her vision swimming with unshed tears. She had told Optimus that she hated the picture and had even tried to get rid of it a couple of times but it always came back.

_Ain't it funny how _

_It's the one thing now_

_I just can't throw away_

She placed her fingers on Optimus' face and traced the edges of it. Her spark ached horribly to be able to touch his real face, but she couldn't. He was gone. She felt the tears coming to her optics again and collapsed back on her berth, crying out all her pain and sorrow. It just hurt so much.

_And even though I cry like crazy_

_Even though it hurts so bad_

_I'm thankful for the time god gave me_

_Even though we couldn't make it last_

She sat back up and rubbed her face. She had to be strong now. The rest of the Autobots needed her, as did her sparkling, the last bit of her sparkmate that she had. Getting up, she quickly checked herself in a mirror and left to go get her sparkling from Bluestreak. There was someplace that they needed to be.

_I'm learning how to live without you_

_Even though I don't want to_

_And even with you gone_

_Love lives on_

"Mommy!" A little silver and blue sparkling squealed as System entered Bluestreak's quarters. System smiled and bent down to pick up the little femme. She looked very similar to System, but she had her father's blue colors and helm finials.

"Have you been good for Blue, Angel?" She asked, Angel nodded her head causing her to jiggle in System's arms. System looked up at Bluestreak and nodded her thanks for watching her sparkling. The gunner simply nodded. "Come on sweet spark. We have somewhere to be today."

"Kay mommy." Angel grinned and waved goodbye to Bluestreak as she started to tell System all that she did that day. She was nearly finished when they reached the memorial.

_She comes with me on your birthday_

_Little flowers in her hand_

_She's always known that something's missing_

_But too young to understand _

System fingered her sparkmate's name like she always did. When Angel was sparked, System always brought her to the memorial on the anniversary of Optimus' spark date, she didn't think she could stand it if she came on the anniversary of his death. Angel always watched her mother touch the name on the metal, but she never really understood why her mother was always so sad, if doing that made someone sad than why do it at all.

_And someday she's gonna ask me_

_What kind of man you were_

_I'll tell her all the ways I loved you_

_And all the you I see in her_

"Mommy?" Angel asked curiously looking up at her mother from the ground and hanging onto her hand. System looked down at her sparkling, trying to smile.

"Yes sweet spark?" Angel looked from her mother to the name on the memorial.

"Why do you do that?" System took a few moments to fully understand what her child was asking. Finally she picked her up and showed her the name.

"This is your father's name." Angel looked amazed, everyone on the base always told her stories about her father, she loved hearing how he would fight for others and keep everyone safe, she wanted to be just like him. "He died trying to save many bot's lives. He was such a brave mech, and very kind." She turned to look at her sparkling who looked enamored at the name. "And I see a lot of him in you." Angel looked up at her mother in surprise.

"Really?" She asked. System nodded and proceeded to tell her daughter all about Optimus, the things that only she knew about him. Before they left, Angel turned to the memorial and gave a big smile.

"Bye Daddy. See you soon." System couldn't help the tears the welled up in her optics, but she held herself together and hugged her daughter. Yes, Angel was definitely Optimus Prime's sparkling.

_And even though I cry like crazy_

_Even though it hurts so bad_

_I'm thankful for what god gave me_

_And she's the perfect way to make you last_

They were just about to reach their quarters, when the base alarm sounded. System looked up and narrowed her optics. Decepticons. She quickly ran down a different hallway, making her way to the med bay, Angel clutched in her arms. When she reached it, she quickly handed Angel to Ratchet and ran outside. Angel looked distressed, she always hated the loud sounds, it meant her mother and her family were going to get hurt. Ratchet held Angel close, determined to keep her safe. Woe be to any Decepticon that tried to harm her.

Outside, the battle that raged was worse than any System had been in, in her long life. It was like the Decepticons were making a final stand with this fight, all or nothing, and even though the Autobots were outnumbered, they all fought courageously. A yell of pain distracted System. Looking around, she saw Ironhide being ganged up by five Con's at once. Quickly, she ran over to help him, shooting and causing two of them to fall. The other three were quickly taken care of.

Bending down she helped the black mech up. They both smiled at each other, glad the other was safe. That is until one of the fallen Con's got up. Ironhide saw, but he couldn't react in time, he couldn't even shout out a warning as the Con raised its weapon and blasted System at pointblank range. She fell, Ironhide quickly dispatched the Con. He leaned down to the injured femme, trying to see what the damage was and shouting through his com. link for a medic. System was losing a great deal of energon, a large hole was ripped though her middle that even her spark chamber was exposed. She raised a servo up weakly and Ironhide took it.

"H-Hide?" She weakly spoke.

"Shhh." Ironhide tried to shush her. "Save your strength. You're hurt bad." System just ignored him.

"H-Hide. T-t-take car-r-re A-Angel." She weakly spoke.

"No! Don't talk like that." Ironhide shook his head, he didn't want to lose System too. "She needs _you_, she needs her mother."

"D-don' wanna l-l-leave." System sputtered, energon sliding down the side of her mouth, making it harder for her to speak. "B-b-but, can't-t h-help it." A medic finally reached their side and started scanning over her. He found massive damage and started clamping fuel lines and trying to stop the bleeding. But it was just too much, her body's functions started to shut down one by one until finally her fuel pump stuttered and ceased function.

"System! NO!" Ironhide cried out as System's spark guttered and went out.

_I'm learning how to live without you_

_Baby I don't want to_

_But even with you gone_

_Love lives on_

Angel was inconsolable when the battle was over and her mother's body was brought in. She ran to the berth that held her mother, climbed onto it and cried into her mother's chassis. Ratchet and Ironhide looked on in sadness.

"I can't say I'm surprised." Ratchet croaked out. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"What'cha mean Ratch?" Ironhide asked, not taking his optics off the spark broken sparkling. Ratchet sighed.

"I know she tried, Primus the whole base knows she tried, but after Optimus' death, you can't deny that a part of her died too. Even with Angel, everyone could tell that System just wanted to follow Optimus to the Well of Allsparks." Ironhide grunted. He couldn't argue, even he could see how devastated System was. "I guess now the real question is what to do about Angel." Ironhide gave Ratchet a look, finally breaking optic contact with the femme.

_Baby love lives on_

_Love lives on_

"Is there really any question Ratch?" Ratchet looked at Ironhide questioningly. "We're gonna take care of her. It's what System wanted, and I know that you'd fight tooth and nail for her." Ratchet nodded, seeing as it was quite obvious. They both were never going to be able to replace Angel's parents, but they both cared for her and would give her all the love that she would ever need.

_Oh yeah_

System opened her optics and looked around herself. She was alone surrounded by white mist. She could have sworn she was just with Ironhide. The last thing she remembered was being hit with a Decepticon's weapon. Then realization hit her.

"I'm in the Well of Allsparks?" She asked herself, not really expecting an answer.

_I reached for you this morning_

_Woke up with empty arms_

"Yes, you are." A voice surprised her. Not because she wasn't expecting to hear a voice, but because of who the voice belonged to. Turning around swiftly, she saw the one mech that she loved more than life itself. Before stood her deceased sparkmate, Optimus Prime. He had a smile on his handsome faceplates and his arms out, waiting for her to come closer. He didn't have long to wait.

System threw herself into Optimus' arms and enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapped around her.

"I thought I would never see you again." She confessed. Optimus gently placed a servo under her chin to get her to look at him.

"I have always been with you, love. I never wanted to leave you, and I know my death has been unbearably hard on you. But I am so proud of what you have accomplished. Raising our daughter and continuing to fight, even though you had every right to leave and live in peace." He placed a kiss to her helm. "And I also know you didn't wish to leave our daughter alone, that that's what fate has decided." System felt a horrible stab of pain and grief, she knew she had left Angel all alone in the world. As if answering her thoughts, Optimus spoke. "Do not worry. We will both be watching over her. And she is not alone." The mist suddenly lifted and System saw that they both were back at Autobot base, in the med bay. System than caught sight of Ratchet sitting in a chair, gently holding Angel as she sniffled. Ironhide came in with a couple of cubes of energon, gently setting them down and petting Angel's helm. System let go of Optimus and went over to her daughter. She was sad that she caused her sparkling such pain. Gently leaning close to her helm, she kissed her daughter and stepped back, knowing none of the living bots could see her. Optimus wrapped his arms around System and watched as his former caretakers consoled and cared for his daughter.

"Remember, love." Optimus spoke as the scene slowly faded away, to be replaced with bright light. "Love lives on. Even if those we love are gone, they are always near, and new love will be there to help in the times of sorrow." System smiled and embraced her love. She looked up at him with all the feelings she held for him. He smiled and leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep kiss. Yes, love does indeed live on.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this. I worked hard on it and I hope I convayed the emotions right. I wanted the ending to be bittersweet. Review and tell me how I did. I do not own Transformers<strong>


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